Mayor’s Message January 2018
Mayor’s Message for January 2018 Happy New Year, and welcome to 2018! This is a good time to reflect on the past and to continue planning for the future. Among my personal plans, include riding my bike more this year.
In March 2018, I will have been serving as your Mayor for a full year. I am grateful and proud of the support you have given me, and what we have accomplished so far. I had set three goals for the year: Communication, Environment, and Planning. We have made major progress on all three, with more work still to come.
The relationship between the Village and the Town could not be better. They are our partners across the street. We have a lot in common, more that one would think! When we have issues on the table, we put our heads together and share information. Working together saves us time and money and improves our ability to better serve our residents.
We held a combined Holiday Party, thanking all of the staff and volunteers. It was a wonderful event and a great way to continue to build this relationship. The staff at Rhinebeck Village Hall is a wonderful group of people who show their dedication every day. Recently one of our highway staff, I won’t mention his name (Carl) was off the clock when he noticed one of our Village Police officers (Ken) protecting cars from a pothole on 308. He went and got some cold patch and fixed the hole on the spot. This is a perfect example of employees going the extra mile for the good of everyone. Another great example is John who managed our summer hires as they painted and mowed and swept parking lots. John embraced the opportunity to do more and did it without impacting our budget. I am sure you noticed how great the Village Center looked thanks to his taking the initiative.
All of our committees (Tree, Environment, Planning, Zoning, Parks, Short-term Vacation, Grant research) are made up of fantastic volunteers working countless hours planning, offering great ideas, setting goals, and saving taxpayers money.
The Police, Fire and EMS all went above and beyond this year, covering numerous village events. By accomplishing what others thought was impossible, they demonstrated that public safety is always number one. They are truly committed to service and I applaud them for that. This past year, we have been committed to doing our part to protect the environment. Every village, town and municipality has its own contribution to make to the greater good. Saving the environment is more than reducing the carbon footprint, it’s protecting our water, reducing waste, saving energy and promoting better transportation. I firmly believe that communicating what our local government is doing is an essential part of the job. We continued to reach out with more information using all the media capabilities we can, And we plan to do still more in the future. I’m thankful to everyone who responds with suggestions and ideas or shares the information with others. Here’s something worth sharing...Did you know we have gone paperless for Village Board meetings?
We have now reached an agreement with NDH and the DC Fairgrounds for event parking. It still doesn’t solve the weekend parking issues we face here in the village. There is more we can do, and we are currently exploring options. Creating new and safer sidewalks is also part of our strategy as we plan how to best expand our parking options. This coming year, I look forward to continuing to build partnerships with other municipalities. I am excited to partner with our business community, hospital, schools and attractions on ways to retain and attract skilled workers, and reduce costs. Working together I am sure that we can come up with plans which can be implemented for the good of the community.
Going into 2018, I feel that we are gaining momentum and moving forward together. I cannot stress enough how much I appreciate your input. We all need to keep working together, thinking creatively and tackling challenges. I’m excited about the coming year and I hope you are too. As always, please feel free to reach out to me, I can always be reached at 845-876-7015 or MayorBassett@VillageofRhinebeckny.gov and come to see me during open hours from 1pm to 2pm daily Sincerely, Gary Bassett Mayor, Village of Rhinebeck